My Life In 20 Points!

Here are a list of few things about me –

1. I value Honesty. A LOT! So, once you lie to me, never expect me to take you seriously (oh, do not worry, it is highly unlikely that you will succeed in keeping me fooled. I am bound to figure it out at some point and my distrust is CUMULATIVE!)

2. I like a good hot cup of coffee, with equal amounts of decoction and milk with very little sugar in it (There are certain forms of biterness that are worth savouring in life, and keeping your coffee a tad bit bitter is one of them.). But I also equally appreciate Starbucks’ Caramel Macchiato. I have cravings for coffee, that I have often no option but to suppress, these normally happen on cool, rainy days when the sky is overshadowed by dark clouds.

3. A few days ago, someone proudly announced in class that she loves pressure, cos she works well under pressure. I like pressure too; it is the only thing that makes me work!

4. When work starts overwhelming me, I move on to do the least important tasks. Replying to a friend’s mail or making that call becomes ‘Top Priority’ then. I like to think of it as getting the small things out of the way, but really, who am I kidding, there is only one word for it – Procrastination. If it were really a nation, I would be it’s First Citizen.

5. I am a cynic, but every once in a while something really melts my heart and I question my loyalty towards my cynicism. I hate too cheerful messages. I hate it when people tell me they are sorry for my loss; truth is you do not really know what my loss is, so do not expect me to take it well when you try to act like you do! I look for an expiry date on most relationships I see around me. And I am the worst kind of relationship-advis0r you will ever come across; all my advice has only one moral-of-the-story ~ ‘Get out of it ASAP!’ Oh and did I mention that, I have absolutely no experience in that department.

6. As far as love is concerned. I do not believe in that ‘the One’ fairytale. I used to, but that was when I was 6 and thought Rapunzel was a pretty cool story. The story that first introduced me to sad endings is ‘Vaishali’. Its a Malayalam movie that is more ancient than I am. I guess, I could never really accept a happy ending after that. The only real-life love story I have witnessed is that between Nana and Nani. What they had was something was subtle and beautiful. It was in the way Nana held Nani’s hand when he talked to her as she lay on that hospital bed. It was in the way he sat beside her while saying the daily prayers. It was in the way he had tears as he said his prayers when she was in the hospital. It was in every little thing they did and said to each other. However, they are the exception to the rule. The rule is that fairy tales do not cross into the realm of reality.

7. I have known my kids’ name for a long time now. The boy is going to be named after Karn, my favorite character from the Mahabharat. The girl is going to be named after my Nani – Sara! Although I do not intend to be their biological mother. Sometimes I am not even sure I will have kids, but if and when I have them, I have their names ready. (See what I mean about planning ahead?)

8. One of the cruelest and (simultaneously) most comforting lines I have come across is – Zindegi Migzara; life goes on! Over the past one year, I have come to understand just how painfully true it is. Knowing that does not make life any easier, but also there is comfort in knowing that, if nothing else, you are still able to take that breath of air in, and let it out, when your entire body is grieving over a loss.

9. I hate to shed my tears in public. And I do not respond well when people do that before me. I have grown up believing that crying is a sign of weakness. I do not claim to be strong and invincible, but I like to keep my moments of weakness, a private affair. If I choose to cry before you, that should be a very clear indication of the amount of trust I reserve for you!

10. I am not exceptionally proud of being a woman, but if I were given an option to choose between being a male or female I would choose female, every single time. I AM a feminist, and for the love of God, feminism does not proclaim that women are better than men; it only states that women are equal to men. I do not believe in reservation for women; they do not need it. And for any given post, men and women should have an equal opportunity to contest for that position!

11. I love writing Post Scripts. I sometimes go to the extent of planning out what to leave for the Post Script (or even Post Post Scripts) as I begin writing my letters.

12. I am one of the few humans on the planet who still value a hand-written letter from a loved one. I regularly exchange such letters with my friend Liang Le. The very idea of the Postman bringing to you something other than bills and notices is one of the most endearing ones in my mind. I like the thought of waiting patiently for that letter to arrive, I see beauty in the anticipation that I undergo. I love almost everything about writing and receiving mails in the 21st century where I have various speedier and cheaper alternatives at my disposal.

13. I am not a big believer in superstitions and I do not have anything against the number Thirteen, but I have something for good numbers. There is no science to explain them. I like some even numbers, but hate numbers like 4, 6, 8, 16, 20… Then, I like some of the initial prime numbers, but I am not very fond of 17, 29, 43, 59, 61, 83…It just has to ‘feel’ proper to me! No better rationale.

14. Like most people I love the thrill that comes from getting a Math problem right. Its almost an obsessive-addiction once I have had a taste of it, but somehow, I need to be dragged into it. It is the same with writing, I could avoid it like the plague, but once I get down to it, there is nothing to drive me away from it! I guess, that is the way God programmed me.

15. Oh, and I believe in a God, just don’t ask me which one, for I believe God is singular. you want to call Him by different names, that is your business. Personally, I only have one argument for the possibility of multiple Gods; they would have been too busy fighting over who is the Superior God, to ever have time for their creation. Since we have not come to the end of the world yet, I believe He is alone there and is completely at peace with Himself!

16. I am fiercely protective about my independence! I shall attribute it to the fact that I learnt to take care of myself from the time I was 14. It leaves a certain mark on your life. All I am saying is, you give a child a lot of responsibility and expect to take it back from the person when he is 21, he is probably not going to be able to take it as a good thing. My independence is my greatest asset, and I am not willing to give it up at any cost!

17. My ideal future will see me living in a small and comfortable Studio Apartment by myself. I like solitude. I cherish solitude; every moment of it.

18. I am fiercely protective (ya, I am pretty fierce when I want to be!) of my friends. I do not have many friends; just a handful of them. The rest all are acquaintances. However, once I count you as my friend, you will have earned yourself my undying loyalty.

19. If there was some post for a Grammar Police, I would have aspired to be one, and the chances are, I would have qualified for that post too!

20. Wow! I do have a lot to say about myself, don’t I! Well, that is the thing you see, once I start, I never really can stop. I will just have to leave this here, I suppose. The rest of ‘About’ me is somewhere between all the posts I publish on this blog. If you are really curious and have a lot of free time at your disposal, read along! Don’t say you weren’t warned, that is all!